Well… it is winter.
At least this week anyway.
Last week it was in the 70s and I was wearing tank tops while working the land. This week, Georgia decided otherwise. A cold front rolled in with relentless wind - the kind that rattles windows, animals, nerves, and sometimes entire plans.
That wind tested my peace.
But it didn’t take it from me.
A week ago, driving a road I travel at least four times a day in the dog bus, a coil of excess cable (or phone?) line whipped loose in the wind and blew straight into my path. It bounced off the front of the bus and then smashed through one of the side glass doors. Luckily, I had enough wherewithal to maintain my speed, not swerve into another lane, and avoid actually causing an accident. At the next light, I snapped this pic and quickly assessed the damage.
Not one single car seemed to notice what had just happened.
Crazy, right?
I still had two dogs on board - thankfully both were in the very back - but there was glass everywhere. My hair. My clothes. The seats. The floor. Every surface. It was loud, sudden, and honestly a little traumatic.
The next few minutes were pure adrenaline: trying to wrap my head around how to get the remaining dogs home and off the bus safely, get the glass cleaned up, all without getting overwhelmed with panic. At my next stop, one of the dog’s “dads” was home and, in true hero dad-mode, came to my rescue and swept and vacuumed up all the glass in the walkway and steps so the last two dogs could exit safely. This guy is usually never home, so it felt like a little bit of divine intervention.
After I dropped the bus off at home, I still had a private dog-walking client scheduled. So I got in my car, drove to that appointment, and took the dog and my shaken nervous system for a long walk.
Walking is how I think.
It’s how I let my brain work without spiraling.
Movement creates calm. Calm creates solutions.
By the time I finished the walk, I had a plan.
•get a temporary mirror
•dig out some plywood from the shop
•get all my tools out
•board up the window in a way that it can withstand highway speeds
•make it safe
•make it functional
Insurance had been called, a claim filed, but this bus is how I pay my bills. There was no time to wait on anyone.
That same day I called Athens Auto Glass to come take a look. He pointed me in the direction of who to call to have the glass ordered and cut, and said he’d be happy to install it when it comes in. I mean - I know the makeshift repair job I did looks ok, but I gotta have this bus back to normal asap since she’s literally a rolling billboard for Tails and Trails!
The next day I drove over to Clark Glass & Mirrors to get the door measured, glass ordered, and cut - they were not an option to repair the bus mirror, so I drove to a few nearby junkyards hoping to find a replacement bracket and mirror and learned quickly that it was an aftermarket part, meaning… no luck. So my options were either to install an entirely new setup (drilling fresh holes, then repairing the old ones), or find a welder - but the reality was I needed this mirror bracket yesterday. This bus has no backup camera, no visibility aside from that side mirror., so driving without a functioning mirror isn’t an option.
And then it hit me.
A former assistant of mine - a wonderful, talented woman - had put herself through welding school and won awards for her craft. Most of what I’d seen her do was artistic, so I wasn’t sure. But I reached out anyway…
She said yes.
She fixed it.
Within hours.
Problem solved and I have full visibility while driving the bus again (I am so fortunate!)!
So here I am, one week out from windstorms and shattered glass, and I didn’t miss a single beat. To be honest, I freaked out a little at in the moment and called my brother. He’s my go-to. Calm, capable, and able to fix just about anything. But this was the one week he was unavailable and honestly, I’m kind of glad now. It forced me to get down to business, stat.
I didn’t spiral.
I didn’t freeze.
I stayed grounded.
Shit got done.
I’ve also had conversations this week that tried to pull me off center (mostly with the insurance folks - ha!). Old dynamics. Old emotional gravity. But I stayed grounded. Not perfectly - I’m human - but intentionally. I didn’t lose sight of where I’m going.
I am seeing the proof now that the three-second experience with the monks earlier this month changed something in me. It was brief, but it recalibrated how I move through the world and I hope I can make it last forever. What I hold onto. What I release. What is actually helpful in making progress, and what is just time sucking dramatics. Which conversations I engage in. Which people I quietly step away from.
Since December 15, I’ve been doing the #100HappyDays challenge, and I’ve found something good in every single day. Even the ones that started with broken glass. I’ve been documenting them on Instagram, if you’d like to follow along.
And night before last, just as the farm got dark and the wind was howling, a bright red cardinal was hanging out on my porch.
I don’t pretend to know what signs mean.
But I do know when something makes me pause.
And in a week full of wild wind, repairs, and emotional steadiness, that little flash of red felt like a reminder.
Still here.
Still steady.
Still moving forward.
I hope you all have had a lovely week. I cannot believe it is already Friday again …
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